Time
by ficguard
Summary: New friends, new foes, strange happenings. Either time is running out, or just out of whack. By our team writer, Will.
1. Arrival

Time  
Episode 1 : "Arrival"

By Will

With a hiss of steam and a groan of gears the machine landed in downtown Tokyo. Steam filled the air as the pressure valves released the unneeded steam. A few moments later the door unlocked and opened. A tall man in Victorian clothing stepped through the hatched and closed it behind him. Holding up a device that looked like a cell phone, if the cell phone had been invented in 1800 England, he tapped out a few commands. With a whirr of gears and steam the machine vanished, leaving the clear early morning air silent.

The man adjusted his tie and put on his hat. He pulled out a device and began talking to it. "First impressions, the air is far more breathable than the reports had suggested. Time flow is stable and yet is in a state of decay, nothing concerning." A kid ran past him. "Humans are as agile as previous reports indicated and seem to have mastered various sciences and some form of communication, as I'm detecting radio waves in various frequencies."

He paused. There was a foil wrapper on the ground. He picked it up. The ocular chips in his spectacles immediately translated the words on the packaging. "Vanguard." He said. That clicked something in his memories. He dug out a notebook and began flipping through it. "Ah…yes, here the denizens of Cray are called into battle in the form of a card game, our fates are inevitably linked." He spun on his heels and returned to the place of his machine and tapped out a few more commands on his device.

With a whir of gears and a hiss of steam the machine reappeared. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He went to a console and began running his fingers across the gears and dials, making the machine communicate with the Earth technology to begin downloading and and analyzing information. "This will be more useful then we first thought." He said to the recording machine. "Begin processing the data, convert the army's profiles into Vanguard cards and begin downloading preliminary data on strategy and instruction." As the data flew across the output screen he realized just how big the game was in this world.

This will get him much farther than had he decided to do it without it. Then he noticed a series of encrypted files on a server ran by a Team Asteroid, it mentioned something called Psyqualia…"That's our resource…" he said into the device. "I've found what we needed to begin the invasion. " he began downloading and process the data on Psyqualia that the humans had. As he did his eyes began to glow with a spiraling inner light. "Perfect."

Chrono had the weird dream again, a dream that was full of steam and gears and war. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "Not again…" he looked at his alarm clock. It read 4:33 AM. Too early…He thought, always too early. He padded out of his room into the living room where his cell phone was plugged in. He grabbed it and his jacket and left the apartment he shared with his Aunt. He stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air, the sounds still fresh in his mind from his horrid dream. In his dream he was powerless to stop a war that was tearing Earth apart. He felt completely overwelhmed as he watched his friends and family die.

Standing under the starless sky he started to feel strange and he couldn't place his finger on what he was experiencing. As the sun began to creep in from the eastern horizon it dawned on him as well. The feeling that he was experiencing was the same one as his dream. War was on the horizon and he was determined to make sure that it didn't happen. As the sun's light began to arch across the sky he could have sworn he saw a glint of golden metal. He instinctively reached for his deck and looked at the top card, it was Chronojet Dragon. "It will probably take everything we have, won't it?" If the card had any knowledge of the future it remained silent. "My reality will end differently than my dream." He swore.


	2. Conflux

Time

Episode 2: "Conflux"

By Will

Chrono met Tokoha and Shion at Card Capital 2 after school had gotten out for the day. They were discussing a new set that was coming out and Kamui was hovering as usual, instead of doing his work. He kept bragging that his Nova Grapplers would become even more unstoppable after some of the new Grade 4s were released. His boasting was cut short however, when the manager's office door creaked opened and Shin stared out, without saying a word he managed to convince Kamui to return to work.

The bell above the door chimed and a young man entered, he was wearing a long black coat and his purple hair was wild atop his head. "Good afternoon!" he said cheerily sweeping around in a circle taking in the whole shop. "Nice place you have here, not like what we have back home…much bigger." He said appraising a display case of cards. He let out a low whistle. "Nice selection!" he said tapping the glass. "I've been looking for that one, may have to come back when I have more money." He approached Chrono's table. "How are we?" he asked shaking everyone's hand warmly. "Ok…" said Chrono. "Hi!" said Tokoha. "You are?" asked Shion sheepishly. "Ah right, how rude of me, sorry I just get really excited and a head of myself." The stranger said with a laugh. "I am called Dante by those who love and hate me, similar emotions really." He pulled a deck out of his coat pocket. "I find this is a far better introduction, anyone care to play me?"

"I'll do it!" said Chrono. "Actually…" Shion interrupted. "I believe it's my turn to take on the new challengers, you did it last week, this week is my turn and next week is Tokoha's." Chrono frowned but moved aside for his team mate. "See, we're working on the manners thing!" Tokoha said cheerfully. "Delightful!" said Dante shuffling his deck and placing his FIVA device into the place on the table. "Now, where shall we play…ah! How about the new map?" he asked Shion. "Sure!" Shion said placing his device in place and shuffling his deck.

"Stand up, my Vanguard!" said Shion flipping his card over. "Quite!" said Dante flipping his. "Shining Knight, Milius!" Shion's familiar young knight appeared on Cray. "Arise! Stealth Beast, Kuroko!" Dante's vanguard took the form of a cat demon carrying a massive scroll. "Nubatama, we don't get many of those fighters in these parts." Shion said approvingly. "Then I shall try to represent them with valor." Dante nodded. "I'll start!" he selected a card in his hand with his thin fingers. "I ride Stealth Rogue of the Night, Sakurafubuki! My forerunner moves behind my vanguard, then I call Stealth Dragon, Dreadmaster!" the ninja-dragon appeared in a cloud of black smoke. "I end my turn."

"Okay." Shion drew his card. _Epic!_ He thought. "I ride Knight of Reform, Pir! Then I call Lunar Crescent Knight, Felax." He tapped his chin for a moment. "Felax! Attack his rearguard Dreadmaster, with a boost from Milius, Pir is slashing in!"

The Dreadmaster vanished in a puff of smoke and another one appeared to block the attack from Pir, alongside a robed dragon.

"Not getting through that easy!" Dante said. "I stand and draw! I ride Stealth Rogue of a Thousand Blades, Oborozakura, with a boost from Kuroko I attack the vanguard!" he flipped over the top card of his deck. "Ahah! A critical trigger! All effects to Oborozakura!" Shion grit his teeth. "No guard!" he placed the cards in his damage zone and one of them glowed. "A draw trigger! Power to Felax and I draw."

Dante smiled. "Then it's your turn, my friend!"

Shion drew a card and stood his units. He rode Knight of Twin Sword and called another Felax behind the first one. "Go!" The twin Felaxes attacked the vanguard first. Dante grinned as he placed a card into the damage zone. Then his vanguard charged through. "Perfect guard, negation technique!" A wolf demon appeared and began multiplying itself through a mystic art confusing the Knight of Twin Sword. "Check the drive trigger!" Shion flipped a card over and revealed a stand trigger. "I stand Felax and attack again!"

"You got me that time!" Dante said as the slash of light turned into a card that flew to his damage zone. "This is a pretty good fight, I was told you guys were strong." He drew a card and stood his units. The card he held in his hand was blank. _Interesting, now of all times it chooses to show up._ He thought. He looked his hand over. "I call my friend, the Stealth Dragon Voidmaster! I attack!"

The Twin Drive check revealed nothing special. "I nullify your attack!" Shion declared discarding a card. "Tch." Dante said.

"I stand and draw! Next I ride Altmile! Now! Stride Generation!" A brilliant blue light filled the battlefield on Cray, Dante looked his hand over. "There's no stopping this." He closed his eyes. "Show me! Your power!" "Then I call my second Altmile! Let's win this!"

The mighty swordsmen slashed through Dante's Voidmaster, it began to disinigrate. "I should have known better than to use an incomplete deck!" Dante said with a laugh as he faded away.

"Your deck isn't complete?" asked Shion in surprise. "Nope." Said Dante. "I've been travelling to find some of the more rare cards that I need to complete it. Especially the Generation Units." He stood and consulted his watch. "If you'll excuse me I'm sure I'll be back, not many shops around here have what I'm looking for." _Especially not many have powerful cardfighters that can handle my true deck._ He thought to himself as he exited the building. "Soon, those three are going to be in for a fight of a lifetime, there isn't much time to spare. I'll need you to get the others here quickly. We've found them." He said to thin air, the air shimmered behind him.


End file.
